


The Age of The Traveler: The Return of Fireteam Kronyz

by Wolfy_Loveland



Series: The Adventures of Fireteam Kronyz [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny 2, Gen, Multi, round 2, shit gets real, some people die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-06-08 14:27:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15245349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfy_Loveland/pseuds/Wolfy_Loveland
Summary: Sequel to The Age of Guardians: The Story of Fireteam KronyzA month has passed since Eris left her warning behind, and the Red War has begun; will Fireteam Kronyz be able to deal with the challenges that it brings, or will they crumble beneath the might of the Cabal, and be swallowed by the Darkness they bring?Obvious spoilers for Destiny 2





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, I'm back already! As with the first story, if you want a Guardian of yours featured in the story, then come on up and let's talk about it! For now, I hope you enjoy the sequel to my first story, and that you all love it as much, or better, than that one!

Luna thought there would be more time; a few months at least, a year or more if they were lucky enough. She never thought that it would happen only a month after Eris left the Tower and gave them her dire warning.

Fire, rubble, and so much death. All brought on the wind by a storm they never saw coming.

Luna had been grabbing a tome for Dan, one he claimed to have needed for his next visit to the Sunbreakers, that he had asked her to grab for him while he worked on his ship. It started with an explosion she felt shake the very floor beneath her, and Zavala calling across the comms. "The Cabal are attacking! All Guardians, to arms! We must evacuate the citizens and fend off these invaders!"

He didn't have to tell her twice. Matthew was still working with Eva for the day, he was her first priority. Armor on, weapons loaded, and she was out the door. She needed to get through the Plaza to be able to make it to the North Hall where Matthew was, but unfortunately she stumbled upon Zavala and a large group of Guardians acting as a shield for citizens trying to make it there themselves.

A handful of Guardians would go with each small group of citizens, and by the time she got to them they were down to the last group. "All young Guardians, listen up! I want you to go with these people, get them to the Speaker and to the evac ships! We Veterans will stay behind and push back the Cabal to buy you time. With any luck, we may even return the Tower, and the City, to our hands. For now, move it!"

It almost felt cruel, but she understood what he was implying; this was a war, and few Guardians were old enough to have taken part in the early wars. They might have been strong, but they were not experienced in warfare of this magnitude. She was certainly one of them and so she went with the rest of them to the North Hall, leaving behind the Veterans Zavala had organized. Dan and Odin weren't among them yet, but she knew they'd never pass up a good fight.

In her mind, she knew that plenty of Guardians would help protect Matthew; he and Eva had become a staple in the lives of Guardians for all the work the two had done, and he was loved by many. What she didn't expect was the living shield wall surrounding them. Titans standing like unmovable sentinels until one raised his arm and waved to her. "Luna! We've got your brother here with Eva!"

They parted just long enough for her to come to Matthew's side, taking his hand in her's. "I've got you now. Let's get you to the evac ships!"

The Speaker was on his typical platform, organizing the remaining citizens to move into the nearby maintenance hallway. It was a little cramped, but the massive doors at their side were sealed shut, the sounds of combat muffled but still distinct from the other side of it. They went inside it, with the Titan who had spoken to her turning to go to the Speaker when Cabal ships fired on the ground all around them.

Smoke rose to obscure him, but his voice carried through. "Go, Guardians! The citizens are the life of the City itself, get them to safety!"

The doorway collapsed and the Titan slammed his fist against the wall, anger in his voice when he called for the Vanguard. "Zavala, Sir! The Speaker needs reinforcements!"

Ikora's voice came back, calm as ever. "I'll take care of him!"

With her focus no longer on getting to Matthew, Luna raised her Ghost between the two of them. "This is Luna, calling Fireteam Kronyz! Where is everyone? I'm on my way to the evac ships with Eva and my brother!"

Hersh spoke first, gunfire nearly drowning him out. "Rayn and I are at the ships, keeping them safe from Cabal attacks."

Next was Bianca. "I'm on one of them myself, patching up whoever needs it."

Last was Dan, breathing heavily like he was sprinting full speed. "On the way to the Plaza; Zavala is pulling his forces from it to send them where they can do good, and Odin is finishing off the last of the Cabal there. We're going to meet up before heading for the ships with the rest of you."

_I'll get Matthew to the ships, then we can go back to help them out._   _I'm sure there's another way back to the Plaza._

Going over the map of the Tower in her mind, she barely realized they made it to the hanger in the next ten minutes they spent shuffling through the halls. Rayn was crouched by the closest ship, reloading her guns, while Hersh watched her back. They had only just come into sight when a weight struck Luna deep within her rib cage, and settled there. It dropped her to the ground as whispers rose up; something about a device, the Traveler, but she blacked out. The last thing she saw was people grabbing her and her allies, dragging them towards the ship.

Back at the Plaza, just minutes before, Dan landed next to Odin in the Plaza, leaping down from the rooftop to come to his aid against the last of the Cabal. "Not often I see you with only one Hand Cannon; where's Ace of Spades?"

"Gave it back to Cayde when I ran into him. I was really only using it since he lost to me in a card game. Plus, he needed it more. I've got plenty of spares."

Movement drew their eyes to the Traveler, where some strange ship was...opening as if trying to grab it. "Dan, you're seeing that too right?"

Some odd shield shimmered to life around it, and the moment it solidified it was like they were kicked in the chest by a Hive Knight; they hit their knees and struggled for breath. Their Light was _gone_. It was something they'd felt before, but not for long periods of time, no longer than a few seconds...but this was longer, this was colder.

"Fuck! Odin, incoming!" They could barely see the Cabal ships coming for them, planning to finish them off in this wounded state. Dan threw his grenade to the floor, fire blocking their attackers from reaching them while they dragged themselves towards the stairs leading into the Vanguard Hall. They heard it was mostly ruined, but it would offer protection for now.

Once they threw themselves down them, Odin chucked his Tripwire onto the wall and brought it down, sealing off the entrance. It wouldn't last long, but it gave them time to push past the pain. Dan rose, offering a hand down to Odin. "I've got a full magazine in my Auto Rifle, and maybe eight shells for my Shotgun."

Taking it, he pulled himself up to his feet when he spoke. "Six shots in the Last Word, four in my Sniper Rifle, and my knife."

The first bit of rubble was shifted, either by the Cabal moving it, or some smaller explosive, but that was their signal. "See you on the other side, Hunter."

"Same to you, Titan. Let's give them a proper welcome to the Tower."

Their guns came up when the rubble exploded into dust, and the barrels flashed as they fired on the charging Cabal.

On the ships leaving the Tower, Luna woke back up to the sight of Matthew hugging her head to his stomach, speaking in hushed whispers to Bianca. "She'll be okay?"

"She will. We've...never lost our Light to this extent, but we've been left with just enough to stay alive. No more conjuring explosives or powers, we're back to our roots. On the bright side, Luna has an advantage over all of us."

_I do?_ "She does?"

"She has her memories of before her life as a Guardian. She survived in the Wilds as a Human without Light; she's used to this, but us Guardians with no such memories? Especially us Veterans? We've been with our Light for so long, I don't think many of us will survive on our own...Holliday is leading us to a safe place to regroup with at least some of our people."

_No more Light. How are Dan and Odin faring? What of Tir?_

She felt so tired, she let her vision go dark and fell back asleep. Hopefully when she woke, she'd feel better.

At the Tower, the two Veterans were resting a few floors down from the Plaza, a trail of destruction in their wake. Cabal blood coated them; their Ghosts hadn't recovered enough to be able to produce their ammo, so they'd resulted to using their fists, and Odin's knife shared between the two of them. It was tough, but the Cabal weren't too smart, easily tricked into shooting their own allies in the midst of the chaos.

Dan felt it first; he grabbed the empty magazine from the pouch on his waist and slammed it home, unloading the newly formed bullets into the Cabal Gladiator rushing down the hall at them. "Well, that's an improvement. Come on, we need to be getting out of here as fast as we can. Maybe we can find a place out in the Wilds to hunker down until we contact the others."

Odin felt it, and spun the chamber of the Last Word, slamming it back into place with a laugh. "I can take a guess where they'll be going. Been hearing rumors about it lately from Holliday. If we can find some transportation, I can get us there."

"Well, let's see what we can find."

It was a simple thing, making it to the hangar. The less simple task was trying to find a ship that wasn't on fire. Luckily, Holliday always kept a spare tucked away, and the two managed to get it started. "You drive Odin, you'll get us there in one piece at least. Meanwhile, I'll do my best to keep an eye on our six."

Odin slid into the seat and within seconds they were shooting from the hangar into the skies above the Last City. Unfortunately, there were still a few dogfights still going on; remnants of Dead Orbit's fleet was trying to fight back, but they were obviously losing. Their ship was rocked by the occasional hit but it wasn't enough to down them at least.

"So, where are we going?"

Odin tapped in the coordinates and let Artic reveal a map. "It's a place that people outside the Wall decided to put together. From what I've heard, they've been doing good for themselves. We'll have to see if any other Guardians ended up there, or if they know where they went."

Dan leaned forward, frowning at the location, and its name.

_The Farm_


	2. The Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two Veterans make it to the safety of the Farm, and learn a few things that shake them down to their cores

They figured they were in the right place when the ship warned them that they were suddenly locked onto; after all, Cabal didn't let you get that kind of warning before they fired. Comms were activated and called out to on all frequencies they knew of until a woman they didn't recognize told them to land nearby in a clearing. They had assumed it may have been a Guardian, but the woman that stepped out of the tree line with Guardians and Humans alike had no Light within her.

It made her all the more intimidating.

Dan and Odin both took their helmets off, to look her in the eyes when they spoke.

"I'm Dan, this is Odin, we were looking for somewhere safe. We barely made it out of the City alive."

"You're welcome to come with us, but only if you're willing to pull your weight." Well, at least she didn't beat around the bush. The two of them nodded in agreement, and were lead away from their ship, towards another clearing not too far away. At first glance the place looked run down, deserted, but movement revealed that many a Guardian was here, along with civilians by the dozens, even hundreds possibly.

"We barely had the room for all of your citizens, but with so many free hands we've been able to expand our farming operation and plenty of other things; couple of engineers joined up so we've repaired plenty of equipment, weapons even. And some of the Hunters have even volunteered to be what you call them, bring back some animals for us to use as livestock, or to build up our stockpiles of food."

Dan gazed around the area, picking out the sight of Shaxx through a hole in the large barn he was taking residence in, along with what looked like Tess Everis who was down by the broken fountain in the courtyard. "I'm a decent enough engineer myself, I'll work on whatever you need me to."

"And I'm good at tracking, I'll happily hunt down some animals if it means staying here. We still need to regroup with the rest of our Fireteam, but we'll do everything we can to help support you and everyone else."

The woman motioned over to a group of Guardians in a field out by the waterwheel, kicking around a small ball. They looked to be playing soccer of all things. "As long as you don't bother the ones working, you can ask around to see if your friends made it here. I wish you luck; I've got to go coordinate with one of you Guardians, out on a mission for me and my second-in-command."

It wouldn't be until later that they learned her name, Hawethorne, but by then they'd know just what was going on around here.

They went to go to the field, but a familiar head popped out of a small building; Bianca, speaking in low whispers with a civilian that scurried away. When she noticed them walking her way, she sprinted out of the door and threw her arms around their shoulders. "Dan, Odin! You two made it! We were so worried when we felt out Light vanish..."

Dan chuckled, returning her hug first. "We nearly didn't. Some quick thinking saved us, but we took Holliday's spare ship and came here."

Odin gave her a quick hug, popping his helmet alongside of Dan when he scanned their surroundings. "Is the rest of the team here?"

"Hersh, Rayn, and Luna. I've heard nothing from Tir, and even with comms up and running we can't reach the Plaguelands with them."

"She'll probably be hunkering down in her own tower...but without her Light, the Fallen might overwhelm her during their next attack." A hand came up to the back of his neck, working out a kink while he spoke. "We'll have to check on her soon enough. How are things here?"

"They're...surviving." Dan nodded at that, pointing to the waterwheel and the fields out past the soccer field. "I assume it's more for show, but looks like they use it to power a few necessities, and the crops are doing well. They're lucky Guardians showed up; we don't need to eat, and can work far longer than they could."

They watched the Guardians playing soccer, until Hersh's voice rang out from behind them. "Dan!"

The Titan came sprinting up to them, screeching to a halt with a grin on his face that spoke wonders. "I knew you'd make it here! What took you so long, I figured you would have beat us here just because you could."

"Odin probably tracked us here." That was Rayn coming up behind them, her helmet tucked under her arm. "Glad to see you both made it. Now we're only missing Tir."

Footsteps rang out as Luna all but launched herself at the two of them, hugging them as tight as she could with their armor still on. It had been her fear, that two of her family would have been lost in the battle, and even if she didn't know of the fate of her mentor, this was a weight off her shoulders, an immediate concern answered. They both draped an arm over her should to return the hug.

"We're glad to see all of you made it off the Tower safely. You may not be newborn Rookies, but the attack on the Tower, was" Dan started, with Odin taking over when words seemed to fail the Titan "chaotic hell. It wasn't something we would wish upon our enemies, that's for sure."

A hand rested on the Last Word when he motioned with his head towards the way they had come from. "We have Holliday's spare ship, but since we've got nowhere we can go, we'll be hanging around until we get word from the Vanguard. I know there isn't a lot we can do without our Light, but we're still Guardians. We're still the protectors of Humanity, and the Traveler."

Everyone's heads bobbed in agreement; even without their Light, they couldn't just abandon their work no matter what the cost of helping was. Some may not go to the frontlines, but there were plenty of jobs that required extra hands, and what better use for them than to help those who needed it? Wasn't that what a Guardian did? They turned together, and began to spread out.

Bianca hurried back to the makeshift medical building.

Hersh and Rayn vanished into the barn where Shaxx was.

Dan headed towards a group of engineers he recognized from the Tower.

Luna and Odin stepped towards the treeline; he was a Hunter, and she had the skills from her life before the Light. It was time to go hunting


	3. A True Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odin and Luna go out into the forest to hunt for food, learning new things about one another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the extremely long wait, I've been having some personal issues in my life and I've been trying to sort them out. Hopefully everything is worked out for now, so here's the next chapter just for y'all!

A Hunter and Warlock, out in the wild hunting animals; they never would have expected this turn of events normally, but without their Light many Guardians were...depressed, and rightfully so. Even Luna could feel it worming its way inside of her heart. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Odin might feel, given that his paranoia ate away at him the few times she had read of his times being overwhelmed by the Darkness. Speaking of which, she had noticed that here in the forest he actually looked to be relaxing.

_Was it true, he felt at ease in the Wilds more than he did among his own friends?_

Odin knew Luna was watching him even without seeing under her helmet. When he knelt down to inspect a track, he knew she was inspecting something else entirely; him. It wasn't something he was capable of faulting her for, given how his body was already losing most of the tension he'd arrived with. He just couldn't help it; the Wilds were the one place he needn't worry about rules, or being watched for bad behavior, or even concern himself with protecting himself.

"There's a handful of deer roaming, we can probably get one or two at the least." Luna readied her Scout Rifle; Thorn was tucked away for now, hidden in the room she shared with Matthew. Without her Light, she was concerned that the weapon might influence her even though it had been cleansed so long ago. It still held some shred of Darkness inside of it that gave it its power, and she didn't need herself going wild now of all times.

Following the tracks deeper into the forest the two of them kept their senses sharp when the traps began to multiply. They were fresh, and could only have been maybe a few minutes old. If they were accurate then that meant their prey would be only a few meters ahead of them, and yet they had yet to see the deer leaving behind these tracks. A few more feet in was when they found another set of tracks.

_Bear. Has it caught the deer before us?_

Odin drew his Sniper Rifle instead of the Last Word, and crept forward to a tree that he scaled to rest on the lowest branch capable of supporting his weight when he brought the gun to his shoulder. In the silence that followed, Luna swore she could have heard his heartbeat.

"I can see the deer. There's five of them up ahead, but there's no sign of the bear...that's odd...come on, the wind is right so we shouldn't be caught unless they hear us coming up on them" came the whisper from above, barely audible to her. 

Together they crept as close to the deer as they could manage when they finally brought their guns up. Both of them fired, Odin three times, Luna twice. They were clean shots on all of their targets, the deer falling to the ground lifeless. When they knew they were dead, they knelt beside the bodies to begin preparing them; it was gruesome work to skin and remove the guts, but both did it with obvious experience.

It was when they were moving for the last deer that they discovered what happened to the bear. A Fallen Kell appeared from between the trees, the bear being dragged behind them!

Odin drew the Last Word faster than Luna could even process; she had barely registered that it was a Fallen staring down at them when he growled something out in their language. Something about the Kell felt familiar...and when they responded, with Odin lowering his gun, she recognized the figure. An image of them wrapped around her brother came to mind.

"It's our dear friend...seems they've been hit by the Cabal too." Holstering his gun, he shook his head and rose to his full height. "I didn't realize that we were this close to where they called home. We'll need to make sure that we don't let the others come too far out this way, otherwise there'll be a battle and we can't afford it now."

The Kell growled, gesturing behind itself in a general direction. It was trying to inform them of the location to avoid, but only Odin could understand what they were trying to say to them.

"I'll get with Dan and scout it out soon, see where it is so we can map out the surrounding area. It'll avoid casualties."

Once he was assured that there was nothing more to be said, the Kell was allowed to drag off the bear, and they would soon begin to do the same with the deer. They rigged a rudimentary sling up so that they could carry them as cleanly as they were capable of back to the Farm. 

The civilians the met them at the outskirts were happy to see their bounty, thanks all around from them before they took over for carrying off the deer. Odin immediately turned to the area he'd last seen Dan in and went to speak with him.

It left Luna to mull over what had happened.  _I didn't feel that hatred this time. Was it because I knew them, because they had helped my family?_

The mystery would plague her for a few more minutes. At least until Odin appeared in her view again with his Sniper Rifle resting over his shoulder. "If you're up for it, we're going to go scout out the area. Dan's busy, and so are the rest from what he said."

"I'm good with that. We're going to map out the area where the Fallen are?"

"Yeah, as best as we can. Just because they won't outright attack us doesn't mean that we shouldn't avoid provoking them."

They went back into the forest, returning to the same spot they'd encountered the Kell and found their deer.

 From there they would follow the tracks the Kell left behind to head deeper into the forest. An hour of walking was all it took for them to stumble upon the edge of their property; Fallen patrolled back and forth, not yet noticing the figures that hid among the trees.

_This is an entire Ketch worth of Fallen...they replenished their numbers after the events back in the Plaguelands._

"Ah hell..."

Odin's whispered scared her, but the real shock was when they heard the crackle of shock blades behind them, and he spun around to draw the Last Word to meet the Fallen lunging for them...


	4. Between A Rock And A Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scouts become soldiers in a battle they weren't expecting, in more ways than one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know, it's been ages and I sincerely apologize for that, but life has been a wild ride. I lost my motivation to write thanks to some stuff going on in my personal life, and while I'm not sure how long this brief burst of energy will last, I did my best to make use of it. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! As always, if you want then comment, and if you'd like your Guardian to make an appearance hit me up!

The Fallen that ambushed them bore colors they didn't recognize, and took a bullet from Odin a heartbeat before the blades would have torn through him. It was a scene of chaos not even a second later; the very Fallen they'd come to scout out were being raided by a House they didn't recognize, and the two of them were stuck between the warring forces. Quick to adapt, Odin used hand motions to gesture for her to get behind cover, with him following suit.

"Nice to see some things never change! Fallen beating the hell out of Fallen, how original."

Odin popped his head over their cover and grunted, barely avoiding the Wire Rifle that fired at him. "Alright, so, we're going to need to help fend off these Fallen. Same rules as last time; shoot any wearing colors, and if you shoot one that doesn't then apologize and hope you didn't just kill them."

A hand came down to the hip he used to keep Ace of Spades on, and Luna heard him curse. "Damn, that's right I gave Cayde his gun back before the Tower fell. Lucky son of a bitch." A back-up Hand Cannon appeared in his off-hand and he slid around the rock they were using for cover to start blasting away the Fallen closest to him. That gave Luna room to breath and take up the job of covering his back, working in tandem to make sure neither of them would get wounded.

Odin took the attention, but also wiped out the most, with Luna using a Scout Rifle to pop the heads of any Fallen she saw turn his way.

It was a good tactic, and one that soon drove the Fallen back from their allies.

_A quick skirmish. You'd think they would stick around longer, we're only two Guardians; we couldn't have contributed that much could we?_

The Kell lumbered up to the two of them with a growl that Odin scoffed at. "Yeah, like we were just gonna sit and watch. Hell, one of them came at me with their blades drawn, what did you expect us to do?"

The Kell barked something to the Fallen around her but Odin quickly barked something himself, causing a clear air of confusion to surround them. This time the two growled and hissed back and forth between each other, motions growing animated the longer they spoke until Luna feared one or both would draw a weapon. Finally Odin threw up his hands and pointed to Luna.

_What's he saying to her?_

Whatever it was placated the Kell and they nodded, turning away from the pair of them to stomp back towards their abode. "Damn Kell wanted to reward us, but I was trying to convince them that they needed all the supplies they could get for when the other House returned. We wouldn't be here next time after all. Come on, let's get back to the Farm before it gets too late."

The trek back took a few hours, far longer than they would have liked but they had to avoid the remains of the force that had helped drive off, and they weren't in any position to be fighting them here in the forest.

Thus, when they arrived back at the Farm Bianca all but tackled the two of them with a look of absolute wonder in her eyes. "Apparently Zavala is on Titan! A Guardian linked up with him, and Sloane of all people! He isn't sure about Ikora, but apparently Cayde is somewhere on Nessus and they're heading out to find him."

"That's great! Maybe then we can start getting a real fight organized." As they spoke, the trio had moved into the barn where Hawthorne was conversing with Shaxx. "Hell, if that's the case then that means even more Guardians will start showing up, maybe even Tir will drag herself out of her cave. If not, I'll go get her myse-" 

"Tir is dead."

The voice behind them spoke it with such certainty that it chilled Luna to the core.

_Dead?_

Odin had frozen in place, only turning his head until he was looking down at the young girl standing there. Younger looking than even Luna, she couldn't have been much older than sixteen, and that was being generous.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Odin's voice had dropped low, laced with an anger even colder than the girl's delivery.

"Alaina, a Warlock. I was on the Tower when the Cabal attacked, I saw Tir fighting both before and after losing her Light."

Now that caught Luna, and Odin's, attention. They didn't know Tir had come to the Tower.

Luna felt herself shaking when she spoke up. "And? What happened?!"

"Tir brought down quite a few of them even after her Light was gone, including a few ships, but they brought her down in the end."

Odin's scoff drew their eyes to him. "Really? The woman I've seen take on armies with nothing more than her shotgun brought down by a bunch of giant turtles?"

What Alaina brought out from behind her back was all the proof Luna needed to see. Odin would die before letting one of them take the Last Word, and especially an unknown Guardian. Tir was the same way with the Invective, and that was the very gun Alaina held in her hands like an offering. "She's dead, accept it and move on. Your friend is gone and nothing can bring her back, not even-"

What happened next, was burned into Luna's mind.

Odin had snapped like a wild animal breaking out of its cage; the realization that one of his last remaining friends, family, had been brought down by the beasts that had chased them from their home brought out a side of him she'd only seen glimpses of back on the Reef, or when fighting Oryx.

A twitch, one that she didn't recognize, but clearly others did, sent Shaxx leaping from a dozen feet away to catch his wrist; whether he had meant to draw his gun, his knife, or just deck her was unknown, but he did retaliate against the head of the Crucible. He smashed his fist into him with a devastating uppercut, sending him careening away. Dan, having been called by Bianca, surged into the barn to try his luck too when this time he _did_ go for the Last Word. 

Dan grabbed his wrist, and met Odin's fist with his jaw though it only knocked him back a foot since it wasn't as clean a hit. Quickly, Shaxx latched onto his other wrist but Odin brought his knee up into the side of his ribs, shoving him away like Dan. The trio fought like this for what felt like hours, Odin fighting like a demon against the Titans who were doing their best not to hurt their friend.

_What do I do..._

On one hand, Luna was still in shock that Tir was dead...but, Odin had lost his sanity. Fireteam Kronyz was a family, one that had lost one of the original three. All she could do was watch as he grabbed by Shaxx and Dan simultaneously, slammed onto the table behind them. Shaxx barked out in that booming voice of his, nearly causing her to go deaf. "Lock it down Hunter! Losses are nothing new to us!"

_That might not be the best way to put it_

And it wasn't, for Odin headbutted him so hard it cracked his helmet over where his left eye would be, using the room given by Shaxx letting go to flip Dan over him and to the dirt below. When he stood this time, Shaxx must have let his anger get the best of him because he tackled Odin through the barn wall behind him! They rolled when they hit the ground, Odin kicking Shaxx away from him.

Even a few yards away his voice still boomed in her ear. "You will stand down, or else!" "Fuck off! You're one to talk, chastising me for getting pissed; how many Guardians did you lead to their deaths at the Battle of the Gap? Huh? HOW MANY?!" The question deflated Shaxx, and Odin shoved him back so he could walk towards Alaina. "You want me to stand down? Fine, I'll stand down."

Snatching the Invective from her hands, Odin turned towards Shaxx. "I'm done."

Her breath caught in her throat.  _Done?_

"I don't believe she's dead, and I won't until I see her body with my own eyes. Until then I'm done with everything else."

Luna tried to move, tried to follow him as he disappeared into the trees with the Invective strapped to his back, but Dan clamped a hand down on her shoulder.

"Don't. He's pissed, worried; there's no reasoning with him until he finds her body, or more proof. It'd be like if you lost Matthew."

Just the thought alone sent a wave of raw emotion through her, and for that brief moment she understood his rage, but it didn't stop her from feeling like the Fireteam was crumbling.

Tir, KIA.

Odin, MIA.

Would one of the others fall apart? Would she?

Or worse, would they fall in battle?

All Luna knew was that her gut screamed that they wouldn't see Odin again for a long time.

It was almost funny how right she was...


	5. Abandonment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna faces the aftermath of Odin's explosive departure, and we see the return of someone who is happy to see him gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'd like to thank everyone who is still following this story, and especially to Dat Shrimp, who left me such kind words on the last chapter! Now, hopefully with things calming down between holidays I can manage a few more chapters, so here's to hopin'!

Luna spent a week doing work that Odin would be proud of; a week out in the Wilds, hunting animals and foraging for herbs to help stock up on both food and medicine for the people back at the Farm. It gave her perspective in ways that she hadn't thought possible. The silence would help to calm the thoughts that deafened all others, while the methodical task of hunting freed her mind from all thinking at times.

She knew that it was really just her way of denying what had happened, because every time she stepped back into the perimeter of the Farm her heart skipped a beat in excitement, because Odin would be there wouldn't he?

No, he wasn't.

Odin was gone, and her mind couldn't seem to accept it.

She hadn't been the only one who kicked it into overdrive. Dan was working so hard on repairs that he had ended up improving both the water wheel that they used to channel water, and power some of their devices, alongside of the defenses that had been set up. Now they had Shaxx's frames patrolling to help some of the Guardians who were practically dead on their feet from constant work.

It gave them the breaks they needed. It also cut down on some of the work Bianca did; unlike Luna, who was used to not having her Light, and thus would go out into the Wilds, and Dan who could but knew that he wasn't confident enough at that moment to do the jobs that Hawthorne was issuing thus he stayed behind, Bianca was...different.

Luna recognized the fear and depression that clung to the air surrounding the Titan, but she would never have called her out on it. Bianca was someone who had trained just as hard as anybody else, and then some, to become a medic to save lives, and now that her Light was gone she was forced to use old school methods, that didn't guarantee the survival of the person she was working on.

There was no doubt, that if their Light didn't return, Bianca would never come back to active duty. Not at the risk of dying.

Other Guardians had the same fears, they were easy enough to spot; they were the ones who lingered on patrolling around the Farm, who opted to walk the entire length of it for hours on end, so that at least they contributed something.

Unlike... _those_ Guardians.

Luna hadn't realized they even existed until a few days after Odin vanished. She stumbled upon Hawthorne explaining to a Guardian that they had better do the work of two people. That's when she heard about the Guardians that had fallen apart, become shells of themselves and stayed cooped up wherever they felt safe, leaving their friends to do whatever they could to earn their keep.

But, the fear...the fear was understandable, it was the other Guardians that bothered her the most. The ones that reminded her of Odin in the worst of ways.

The first time she saw them, was when she overheard Bianca talking to Dan. Rayn was one of the Guardians patrolling, but she hadn't figured out what Hersh was doing with his time until Bianca spoke in hushed tones with Dan about some kind of fight. With thoughts of something terrible in her mind, she hurried down to the river just outside the perimeter where the fight was taking place.

What she didn't expect to find was an organized fight club with Hersh standing the middle of the ring of spectators, a familiar Warlock facing off against him.

It was Acheron, the Warlock she once witnessed trying to fight Odin in the City streets!

"Gives the citizens entertainment, but makes them no better than mutts fighting for scraps."

Dan's voice came from just behind her in a whisper that sounded more like he was thinking out loud than speaking to her.

"Hersh can't go out into the Wilds, he would fall prey to something out there, but he also is too rough around the edges to spend his time just walking back and forth without something to direct his strength to. Note, this doesn't mean I approve, but still."

The match started moments after, grabbing their attention. Hersh should have been the clear winner given the fact he was a Striker Titan, who specialized in their strength, but Acheron slid his arm around Hersh's waist and pivoted to the left. It sent Hersh flying off his feet to slam into the ground, helmet flying off and blood dripping from his nose, most likely having broken it in the fall.

Cheers echoed through the trees at the results; few had been rooting for Hersh it would seem and though Luna didn't know for sure, it looked like Acheron was their favorite by far. Dan confirmed it when he muttered a few seconds after Hersh was carried out of the makeshift ring. "Acheron, Champion of Thanatos, still a crowd pleaser apparently."

He seemed to notice that Dan and Luna were standing nearby, and marched himself over to them. "Oh look, the Hammer of Mars; here to try and take my title since the big bad Wolf is gone?"

There was venom in his voice that dripped into the air. "Or perhaps your little child here will fight in his place?"

_Why does he hate him so much, why does he disrespect us_

"No Acheron, you know I don't do this pit fighting shit. And Luna here isn't going to fight you just so you can compensate for something."

Acheron swung at him, but Dan caught him by the wrist. His arm shook, the sound of the armor on his wrist creaking; Dan was  _crushing_ it!

He released his hold on Acheron so that he could snort and spin on his heel. "I may not have my Light, but you're still no match for me. Next time don't be such a child."

Luna was quick to follow after him.

_I can feel his eyes on me. Burning a hole through my back_

That should have been the end of it, but not much later in the night Hawthorne summoned Luna into the barn to join Acheron, and Alaina, before her.

"What is  _she_ doing here?"

Hawthorne silenced him with a glare that allowed her a moment to speak. "She is here because she was recommended but one of the Veterans. Apparently she has her memories and skills from before her resurrection, when she lived out in the Wilds surviving with her family. Which means she's got a step up on your cranky ass."

Acheron's body tensed like he planned to mouth off, but Alaina's cool voice cut through the tension. "Regardless of why, Hawthorne has chosen her to be our third member so why don't we focus on the mission she has planned, rather than bicker like a child?"

Hawthorne gave a rare smile to Alaina. "Thank you. Now, the reason you three have been called here, is because I've been speaking with a few of your Veteran Guardians and they've given me an idea of the surrounding lands. Some areas had caches, weapons or supplies that I've heard could be quite useful for our people. So the three of you are going to go out and retrieve them for us."

She pointed through the doors of the barn, towards the ships they had been managing. "You'll hop into one of our ships and fly out to the areas I've marked on the map. So long as you're careful, I expect you back within the day. So until then, all three of you need to get along."

Hope, and excitement, flared within Luna

_Maybe while I'm out, I can look for traces of Odin. He must not have gotten all that far on foot._

Three heads dipped down in a nod of acknowledgement, before Alaina took the map from Hawthorne and had her Ghost scan it so she could share it between all three of them.

 __"Let's get this show on the road."


	6. Champion of Thanatos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Acheron talks of his background, and why he so clearly hates Luna's own family; a story of things Luna has only witnessed in videos, and in her mind's eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I did my best to get this chapter done relatively quickly and out for your enjoyment everyone! Hope you like it, and keep an eye out for the next chapter! It'll be Dawning themed if all goes well!

They made it through three caches, out of four, when Luna finally caught Acheron's anger full-force. It had been a rather peaceful time until then; the trio of Warlocks flew from place to place, from abandoned ruins of long forgotten towns, to caves hidden behind waterfalls, and finally to the place Luna realized was where the weapon she kept tucked away for emergencies came from.

_Twilight Gap_

It felt like, even dematerialized, the Gjallahorn was bleeding Light into the world around her, screaming for the air it once breathed.

_It's like some part of Oru wished to return to life_

Alaina was gazing around the field they walked through, the remnants of Fallen Skiffs and Walkers alike left behind as the skeletons of a battle the City lost, and the battle to retake the very same lands.

"I am only a few months old, what is this place? It looks to have been the site of a great battle."

"It was the Battle of the Gap, I saw videos of it and heard stories from Odin and Tir that-"

Acheron's voice cut through her words with an icy undertone. "I'm sure it was absolute bullshit, whatever you heard."

The two of them stopped dead in their tracks. Acheron had ended up peering into the remains of a Skiff with the intention of making sure the cache wasn't hidden within. "Tir wasn't even at the Battle, and Odin was off somewhere getting his ass kicked probably. He sure as hell wasn't in the thick of it with the rest of us."

The knowledge of what Odin had been through in the battle, what he had lost both on himself and in his heart, caused Luna's emotions to surge. "You act like you know everything, but you don't Acheron! Why do you hate Odin so much when he's done nothing to you!"

He rounded on her so fast that she actually stumbled backwards. If not for Alaina catching her she would have collapsed to the ground.

"Nothing to me?  _NOTHING?!_ Let me give you a history lesson girl!" He towered over her just like Odin would have. "I was brought back to life three hundred and seventy-five years ago. Do you know who else was brought back that same year? _That. Same._ _Fucking._ _Day?_ I'll give you a hint." He spun around and slung out his arms as if conjuring a beam of energy to fire out at the skeletal remains. "Two Warlocks, my own sisters in this life."

He punted the remains of some kind of helmet, sending it flying over the field. "Right here, in this god forsaken hellhole, Ayela lost her life. She died here because of Odin." Again he whirled around on her. "She told me she was going to join his team with her husband, and I did everything in my power to convince her not to. But no, he was older, he was supposedly stronger, and had a team that wouldn't lose."

_He said two...Ayela, I know of her. I've seen her armor in their room._

"And when I stumbled across her body during the retreat, I knew I had been right. She joined Syryuna in the afterlife all because they put their faith in a fucking monster."

"That's not fair to-" Acheron rushed forward, barely stopping before he collided with her. "Don't you  _dare_ tell me what you think is fair. You've seen the beast that lurks under his façade; I heard about how he reacted to his precious friend's death, he would have hurt Alaina for doing nothing more than informing him of it. No Veteran is clueless about Saladin's precious Wolf of the Reef. We've seen him in combat, we've seen the way he lurked around battlefields to try and find more Guardians willing to take up the mantle of being in his Fireteam."

The longer he talked, the more Luna felt her Gjallahorn begging for release, but this time to defend long lost friends.

"Syryuna was foolish for joining his first team. We didn't know him well enough at the time, so I can't fault her for it, but Ayela should have known...she was there at Six Fronts, she  _saw_ the outcome of being in his Fireteam."

The memory of the words written upon Odin's tome came to the front of her mind.  _The Voidwalker Succumbs._

But it didn't matter, she knew they had both been willing, and they weren't the only ones to have died. It wasn't right of him to put so much blame upon Odin.

She wished to defend him, but the moment she took in the breath that would be her weapon against him, he continued his rant.

"Yet she went with him, followed in the footsteps of the sister we cared so deeply for. I lost my family. I lost my family to the bowels of a hungry Wolf that chewed people up and spat them back out." All of his movements stopped, with his limbs going limp like that of a marionette who's strings had been cut.

Lifeless

Until something breathed life back into him so that he could spin around and point his finger at Luna. "You want to gallivant around with Dan, with Bianca? That's fine. But  _him?_ " That finger pressed into the middle of her chest like the weight of the world was behind it. "You stay away from that beast or you'll end up just like the two of them. That creature should never have been pulled from his ship out in the Reef, he never should have been brought to this planet, and he sure as  _hell_ should  _never_ been allowed to take two steps onto the Tower. He should have been put down like the monster he is."

Acheron turned back to the battlefield and laughed, the sound burning a hole into Luna's heart like a heated poker being jammed between her ribs. "Look at the outcome of what happens when beasts like him decide to come calling."

It wasn't just that he was calling him a monster, it was what the words he just uttered implied; he didn't mean the Guardians who fought here, no he was comparing Odin to the Fallen who launched the assault.

"I'm sorry that your sisters died, and I'm sorry that you no longer have them at your side," the words were coming out faster than she meant them to, and her voice hardened as they just spewed forth "but it is NOT Odin's fault! Fireteam Kronyz did their best to save each other! Your sister was supposed to pull back with Odin and the rest, but she gave her life to ensure the survival of her friends!"

Her words had carried her right to him, finger jabbed into his chest in a mimicry of what he had done to her. He was taller, had the weight in muscles to outclass her, and the jab still pushed him back a foot, which gave her the confidence to push him back another. "I won't let you talk bad about him for things that were out of his control!"

Whatever outcome their conversation would have had was stopped by the sound of scurrying; Fallen were surrounding them, soon with guns drawn on them. There was no way to take out so many without their Light, not when who knows how many more were still hidden.

_Fallen bearing no color. Could it be?_

Drawing upon what little memory she had of it, she stepped forward with her arms raised so they saw she meant no harm and managed to growl out the few words she recalled from Odin's brief teachings.

_We mean no harm._

A Captain appeared from their midst, broken English reaching her ears

"You, friend of Wolf. Why come here?"

Luna felt the air around her crackle; Acheron was tensing, what little Light remained in them could sense his emotions rising, so she spoke as fast as she could. "We came here for supplies hidden away by our fellow Guardians, hoping to bring them back for our friends and family. We don't plan to fight you."

"Supplies here, I take to. Come."

There was no choice but to follow this Fallen Captain, who brought them into the twisted wreckage of a Skiff, where they found the final crate of supplies. What they found odd, and something they had noticed on the previous crates, was a mark on it left behind by a knife; like an x scratched into it. There it was on the side of the crate of supplies.

"Wolf come, tell that friends come soon. Make sure supplies safe. Owe that much."

_Odin was here?_

"Did he say where he was going? Do you know-" 

One of the arms rose, holding its hand out to stop her questions. "Wolf say nothing other than to not follow. He vanish before we ask questions."

Odin had been the one marking the crates, leaving a message behind that they were safe and untouched by others. At least he was still on their side, even if he was still AWOL.

"We follow back to ship, make sure safe."

"Oh no, no, no, we'll be okay!"

"That not neg...negoti….negotiable. Kell want friends of Wolf safe."

Acheron knelt down, lifting the crate into his arms before the Captain escorted them back to their ship. The entire walk was just the four of them alone, but Luna could feel the eyes on her, making sure that they were safe the few minutes that it took.

"Thank you for your help." Luna made sure to bow, just in case, but the Captain's bow was even lower than her own. "No thanks, friends have done much for Kell, fought many times at our side. We not survive without help." And just like that, he was scurrying away. Not until the presence was completely gone did Alaina speak.

"Well Acheron, if not for the connections of the Big Bad Wolf, you'd be dead and our supplies gone. Guess you huffed and puffed a little too much today."

Luna knew he was pissed that Odin had been the reason they were safe today, and honestly?

Let him be pissed. 

 


End file.
